This Week in Gluttony

These are the 9 best food and drink events in Dallas this week

Scardello Artisan Cheese is hosting an epic cheese and charcuterie class on Friday, September 8, at its Oak Lawn location.

Courtesy photo

Just because Labor Day has come and gone doesn't mean we are in full-on pumpkin spice and chili mode. Nope, this is Texas, and there is still lots of cold beer and wine to be enjoyed.

Wednesday, September 6

Chicken Dishes from Across The Globe at Nick and Sam's Park Cities
Chef Samir Dhurandhar presents an homage to National Chicken Month, allowing guests to indulge in a one-of-a-kind, family-style First Wednesday Supper. The menu features a variety of chicken dishes from around the world, including specialties from China, France, Mexico, Vietnam, and more. Tickets are $50, and the event starts at 7 pm. To make reservations, call 214-379-1111.

Thursday, September 7

Ari Weinzweig Book Signing and Cheese Tasting at Scardello Artisan Cheese
Ari Weinzweig, a co-founder partner of Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, visits Scardello to sign copies of The Power of Beliefs in Businessand to be a part of a cheese class. Tickets are $50, and the class starts at 7 pm.

Friday, September 8

Dallas Chocolate Festival at Fashion Industry Gallery
Guests are invited to meet artisans, watch live demonstrations of chocolate making, and sample and shop from over 40 vendors. The event includes a Friday night cocktail party and chocolate cake walk featuring gourmet cakes from popular Dallas eateries. On Saturday, guests can sample and shop chocolates, pastries, and specialty foods. Sunday classes offer participants a hands-on chocolate experience in Bisous Bisous Patisserie’s state-of-the-art commissary kitchen in the Design District. Tickets start at $5, and the festival kicks off at 7 pm Friday.

Friday Night Flight at Steel Restaurant and Lounge
This event includes a wine tasting combined with bites from Chef Tysun Thomas. A local wine expert leads guests through a tasting of five different wines that they select from 10 choices. Tickets are $25, and the event begins at 6 pm. Call 214-219-9908 to make reserve your seats.

Great Wines of the World at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
This luxurious and rare event gives guests the opportunity to dive into the restaurant's award-winning wine collection, featuring exclusive labels and exceptional wines. The wines showcased at this tasting are rarely available all at once. See full list of selections offered here. Tickets are $425, and the event begins at 6 pm. Call 214-366-2000 to reserve your seats.

Charcuterie and Cheese Class at Scardello Artisan Cheese
Whether you prefer salami, prosciutto, or pate, the class explains how they are made and pairs them with incredible, handmade cheeses and tasty wines. Tickets are $40, and the event starts at 7 pm.

Saturday, September 9

Community Beer GARTen at Community Beer Co.
Community Beer Co. is offering free space for a limited number of Dallas-Fort Worth artists to display, share, and sell their work. And, of course, there will be delicious drinks available in the taproom. Admission is free, and the showcase starts at 6 pm.

Dallas Observer BrewFest at Dallas Farmers Market
BrewFest is an outdoor beer-sampling event and festival that will feature over 500 beers from around the globe, food vendors, and music. Tickets are $42-$90 and include 12 (2-ounce) beer samples. VIP ticket options include early entry, private restrooms, and more.

Sunday, September 10

Uncork for a Cause at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek
Adrian and Sandra Beltré present the 2017 Uncork for a Cause charity event benefiting The Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation. The event serves as the release party for Beltre’s “3000 Hit” 2014 Sonoma Red wine; only two barrels of this limited-edition blend were bottled for Beltre’s charity program. Tickets start at $150, and the event begins at 7 pm. A limited number of VIP tickets are available and include a pre-event reception and upscale wine tasting with Beltre and teammates, plus a photo opportunity.

craft-beer charity chefs dinner wine

More Guy

Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives is taping in Dallas this week

Guy Fieri/ Instagram

Guy Fieri at a previous DD&D taping.

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri is coming to Dallas this week as part of a meet-and-greet, in support of Santo Spirits, a liquor brand he does in partnership with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Sammy Hagar.

But Fieri has not come alone: The Food Network star is also filming future episodes of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.

According to a source that requested anonymity, the perennially popular TV show currently has two crews in town, who began recording segments at restaurants around Dallas on December 4. The taping will continue through December 6.

The restaurants — there are six — have all signed nondisclosure agreements, and the tapings themselves are buttoned down tight. And a spokesperson for Food Network said they have no news to share.

So no one is willing to go on the record about DD&D being in town.

However, that does not stop an observant diner from noting abrupt closures of their favorite restaurants — blamed on perfectly-reasonable-sounding excuses such as "plumbing issues" and/or "routine maintenance."

There have also been loose-lipped employees bursting with pride who've been unable to resist sharing the news.

So far, restaurants that have been observed enacting sudden closures such as this include at least two barbecue joints, one of which is a chain: Soulman's Bar-B-Que, founded in 1974 in in Pleasant Grove; and Slow Bone, the acclaimed barbecue restaurant from beloved chef Jeffery Hobbs.

Barbecue is one of the most popular cuisines featured on Diners Drive-ins, and Dives, along with restaurants that specialize in quirky over-the-top dishes. The show favors independently-owned restaurants that offer a good bargain, and that also have "legs" — places that have been open for a minimum of two years and display the ability to handle the business side of ownership, since the show does not want to recommend a place only to have it close.

“Triple-D” has been airing on The Food Network since 2006 and has spotlighted at least 1,000 kitchens in all 50 states. Getting featured on the show has an incomparably beneficial effect because the episodes go into reruns and bring restaurants subsequent waves of business.

A story about the behind-the-scenes reveals their selection process, including suggestions from restaurateurs who've appeared on the show previously. They avoid places that’ve already been on TV, and seek out places where the food is made from scratch.

Post-pandemic, DD&D has been on the rebound, with a renewed intensity in tapings in cities such as San Antonio, where sandwich shop Ro-Ho Pork & Bread will appear an episode on Friday, December 6.

About two dozen restaurants around DFW have been featured including Afrah, Avila's, Cane Rosso, Chef Point, CrushCraft Thai Street Eats, Fred's Texas Cafe, Jamaica Gates Caribbean Cuisine, Louie's, Maple & Motor, Nora Restaurant and Bar, One90 Smoked Meats, Original Chop House Burger, Pecan Lodge, Pepe & Mito's, Prince Lebanese Grill, Tacos Mariachi, Taste of Europe, Tutta's Pizza, Twisted Root Burger, and Whistle Britches — nearly all still open.

Meanwhile, Guy is guaranteed to be found at Spec’s at 9500 N. Central Expressway #200, where he'll do his meet & greet and bottle-signing on Saturday, December 7 from 6:30-7:30 pm.

celebrities chefs media